Anson: How the 1990 Bordeaux first growths taste now

The Bordeaux first growths could have been forgiven for feeling relaxed as the 1990 grapes were brought into the cellar.

This was the third successful vintage in a row, and a time where money was flowing back into the region in a serious way after a decade that had more hits than misses.

Scroll down for Jane Anson’s tasting notes and scores for the 1990 Bordeaux first growths

Beginning a new decade

Cellar upgrades were now routine, and confident winemaking choices were being introduced, such as the third wine Pauillac de Latour at Château Latour.

It was also a time of change, with new owners at Latour, and a new generation at Mouton Rothschild.

There were many owners, however, who initially reserved their enthusiasm for the wines. Although it was clear that 1990 shared with 1989 the fact that it was an early vintage, with great concentration of tannins and sugars, it had also been so hot and dry in July and August that the tannins were initially hard and unforgiving.

Vintage conditions

Cumulative temperatures from June to October in 1990 were higher than both 1989 and 1982. There was also significantly less rain in 1990; 31mm across both July and August, compared to 94mm the year before.

Blockages meant a drawn-out colour change in the berries, which led to a later harvest, and most estates had a good yield of small, thick-skinned berries (saved by two short bursts of rain on 14-15 September and on 22-23 September).

Alcohol levels were seen as high at the time, but read today as extremely reasonable. Of the six wines that we tried here, none go above 13% abv.

Most estates dropped their prices by around 20% at the moment of en primeur, but the 1990 vintage has more than proved its quality over the years.

They might not have been so quick to do so if they had known this vintage would be followed by the seriously underwhelming 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1994. Bordeaux would have to wait five years before being rewarded with another year that even approached the 1990 wines in quality.

And as is invariably the case in well-built, slow burn years such as this, the interest in the first growths is intense.

Prices today

Finding them is not easy today, and this particular tasting, if you were buying a full case of each (in bond), would mean spending somewhere close to £40,000 in the UK market.

Now 31 years old, Lafite comes in at close to £8,000 (per 12-bottle case in bond), Latour £7,500, Haut-Brion £8,500 and Margaux heading up the pack at £11,000.

And in proof of the draw of a first growth, even the less successful Mouton is priced at £4,250.

For value, relatively speaking, you might want to look at the Yquem, which is drop dead gorgeous and a ‘mere’ £2,700 for a case of 12 in bond right now.

There is no question that these are wines that have retained their power to delight, although Mouton 1990 is an excellent reminder that it is not just the vintage or even the quality of the estate that always comes out on top.

Drinking older wines is like heading into a time capsule and sometimes they point to disruption.

At this point at Mouton, Baron Philippe de Rothschild had died in 1988, bringing to an end a monumental career that had begun when he first arrived in Pauillac in 1922.

His longtime winemaker Raoul Blondin retired a year later in 1989, and so the estate was finding its feet under a new team in 1990.

It was also three years before the introduction of Petit Mouton, brought in by Baroness Philippine. From the start, Mouton was seen to have had a more problematic 1990 vintage than its fellow firsts.

Based on this tasting, this has remained true, with Mouton’s two Pauillac first growth siblings outshining it – yet with neither of those coming up to the level of Margaux and Haut-Brion.

And the success of Yquem alongside them clearly showed that 1990 managed that rare trick of being successful for both red and sweet Bordeaux – and one that has decades ahead of it.

See Jane Anson’s tasting notes and scores for the 1990 Bordeaux first growths

You may also like

Bordeaux: The five first growthsAnson: How the 1985 Bordeaux first growths taste nowAnson: The brilliance of 1996 Pauillac winesAnson: How is Brexit affecting Bordeaux wine?